Mechanical coal-feeder



R. G. MILLER.

MECHANICAL CUL FEEDER.

APPLICATION FILED Dsc. 11. 1919.

Lammd Mm. 295, 1921.,

R. G. MILLER.

MECHANICAL COAL FEEDER.

APPucATmN FILED nc17,-1919.

Patented Mar. 29, WZL

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y Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 29, ttwt..

.application led December 17, 1919. Serial No. 345,477.

lTo @El whom it may concern.'

Be it known that l, RUSSELL' G. Minnen, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have made a new and useful improvement in Mechanical Coal-Feeders, of which the following is a specification. L

Mv invention consists in a mechanical opal feedb device and the object oit my invention is to supply coal to a gas producer, ore to a blast furnace, or similar material to an 1nclosed chamber of any kind without permitting a through passage between the exterior and interior of' the structure to be supplied.

ln the drawings I have illustrated my invention as adapted to feed by gravity to a gas 'producer and Fi ure 1 is a vertical section through my device and part. of the top of the producer fed thereby; Figs. 2, 3, t and 5 are horizontal sections on lines 2 2, 3 3, 4 4 and 5- 5 respectively of Fig. 1:.

Briefly, my device consists in a vertical cylindrical chute intended to receive coal at its upper end and' discharge same into the producer at its lower end. It is divided vertically into several chambers by rotating, horizontal disks and respective chambers are divided horizontally into non-connecting compartments by a vertical partition. The rotating disks are provided with openings whereby they are adapted to alternately i connect and seal longitudinally adjacent compartments. t

The chute is composed of cylindrical sections 2, 3. 4 and 5 mounted one above the other, section 5 being the lowest andopening into the top of producer l. Each section is open at both ends and sections 3 and et; have integral, vertical partitions 7 and 8 respectively which divide those sections into right hand and left hand semi-cylindrical compartments without any communicating opening. Partitions 7 and 8 have enlarged, central portions which forni journal bearings 9 and 10 respectively for a central operating shaft 11. Section 5 is provided with a transverse support 12 for shaft 11. Shaft 11 is rotated by a horizontal driving shaft 13 through bevel gears 1t and 15.

The upper-'ends of sections 3, 4 and 5 are provided with inwardly extending ridges 16,

dicated by the suffix a and amounting, in this construction, to approximately one sixth of the area of the plate. The plates are ixedly mounted on shaft 11 and,'when rotated therewith, the open sectors are presented alternately to the opposite semi-cylindrical compartmentsl both above and below the plate.

rlhe open sectors are disposed about the shafts axis relativel to each other so that although there are aliivays passages between any of the chute chambers and its adjacent chamber or chambers, there 4are never opens between all of the alined semi-cylindricompartments at the, same time. ligs. 2, 3 and t illustrate a relative axial position of plates 19, 20 and 21 wherein they are timed with each other to insure the above result.

r1`he upper end of shaft 11 with a shield 22 to from falling material. Section 2 has inwardly extending stationary blades 23 which insure relative movement of plate 19 and any material carried thereby and prevents the blocking of opening 19a. A delector 24 is hun from section 5 and serves to spread the fa ling material about producer 1.

Operation: Coal is supplied continuously to the upper chamber in section 2. Shaft 11 is rotated steadily and slowly and plate 19 acts as a door or shutter to feed alternately to the opposite compartments in section 3 and to seal the compartment which is not receiving coal from chamber 2. Plate 20 acts similarly to supply alternately each of the compartments in section t and to alternately seal them .from compartment above. Plate 21 feeds coal alternately from the opposite compartments of section 4 to the gas producer and seals the non-eeding compartment from the producer. 1n the temporary position indicated, coalis dropping through opening 19?l into the right hand compartment in section S but is held therein by plate 20. The openin in the latter plate is admitting coal from t e left hand wmpartment in section 3 into the' let hand coinpartment of section t. rllhis coal is retained therein by plate 21, the opening 21a in which is,permitting coal from the right'haiid coinis provided partmeiit in section t to drop through secwardly into the left hand compartment in section 4, nor can any gas entering the right hand compartment pass into the compartment above it in section 3.

As shaftll and the plates rotate, there will be two periods in each revolution of each plate when its opening will lead to eachside of partition 7 or 8 as the case may be, but the openings are so spaced axially and relatively that at such times the openings in the other plates are not so located; consequently, at no time is there a through passage between the producer and the atmosphere to permit the escape of gas.

I do not consider it necessary to provide tighter seal joints between the circular plates and the walls of the chute but that may be done if desired. While deiiector 24 serves a useful purpose when cooperating with the chute, its use is not essential to the functioning of the feeder and I contemplate its omission. While there is a relation between the number of door plates and the proportional size of the sectoral opening in each plate, neither the number of plates nor the proportional size is limited to what I have shown. Various other modifications in my device may be made without departing from its principle and I contemplate such modificas tions in its commercial development.

I claim l. In a mechanical coal feeder, a chute, av

longitudinal partition therein, transverse plates dividing said chute into transverse chambers and each provided with an open ing, and means for moving said plates, said openingsbeing positioned 1n their respective plates so that in moving said plates all of said openings are never on the same side of said partition at the same time.

2. In a mechanical coal feeder, a longitudinal chutefal plurality of spaced plates mounted in said chute so as to ybe rotated- 3. In a mechanical coal feeder, a longitudinal chute, a longitudinal partition therein, transverse plates dividing said chute into a plurality of chambers and each provided with an opening, and means for shifting said plates synchronously, said openings being spaced relative to said partitions so that all of them are never positioned on the same side of said longitudinal partition.

4. A mechanical coal feeder, comprising a vertical, cylindrical chute', a vertical partition in said chute, horizontal plates dividing said chute into horizontal chambers and cach provided with a sectoral opening, and means tive position of said openings.

6. In a mechanical coal feeder, a vertical, cylindrical chute, projecting ridges on the inner surface of said chute spaced from each other, disks supported upon said ridges and dividing said chute into-horizontal chambers, vertical partitions dividing said chambers, a shaft ournaled in said partitions and adapted to rotate said disks, and an opening in each of said disks which is disalined with similar openings in the other disks.

7 In a mechanical coal feeder, a vertical, cylindrical chute, a vertical central shaft, three circular plates ixedly mounted on said shaft, spaced from each other so as. to divide said chute horizontally into several chambers, a sectoral opening in each of said plates, said openings in the upper, middle and lower plates being so located about said shaft that they respectively pass a given radial line upon shaft rotation of 0, 120 and 240 degrees.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 11th day of December, 1919.

RUSSELL G. MILLER. 

